Cyd’s Catering

What Cyd’s Catering does

Cyd's Catering LLC is a privately held, bootstrapped catering company founded in 1994 and operated by Chef Cyd Koehn out of Johnston, Iowa. The firm delivers event-based catering across the Des Moines metro (Ankeny, Johnston, Urbandale, West Des Moines), specializing in custom menus with a Spanish Tapas focus and a Buy Fresh Buy Local sourcing philosophy. Service lines span weddings and formal events, corporate lunches and meetings, social celebrations, and funeral/memorial receptions, with optional professional staffing (servers and a sous chef at $60/hour, Chef Cyd at $160/hour, all subject to a 5-hour minimum). Pricing is proposal-based per event, supported by deposit and final-payment terms and a 4% payment-processing surcharge.

The company's technology stack is a modest but functional set of customer-facing portals: a Menu Builder at portal.cateringbycyd.com that lets customers browse menus, save drafts, resume via SMS PIN, and submit catering requests; a dedicated Corporate Client Portal for retainer-account organizations; and a separate cateringbycyd.online storefront for ready-to-eat food orders. An SMS communications system delivers delivery notifications, booking confirmations, event reminders, and day-of-service updates. Distribution combines digital channels (website, Instagram) with venue/vendor referral partnerships (Your Private Bar, Glorious Desserts) and chamber memberships across four local business communities.

Cyd's has held the DSM Business Record #1 Caterer designation for seven consecutive years (2020-2026) and has accumulated additional regional recognition, including a 2019 1st-place Caterer award from Des Moines Business Record, a 2019 CityView 3rd-place Best Caterer ranking, and a 2020 Iowa Restaurant Association 40 Women to Watch award for Chef Cyd. The business is founder-led and self-funded with no institutional investors, no parent company, no disclosed headcount, and no disclosed revenue, limiting external visibility into its financial scale while its longevity (30+ years) and award streak indicate durable local positioning.

Name

Cyd’s Catering

Legal name

Cyd's Catering LLC

Website

https://cateringbycyd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cyd's Catering is a privately held Iowa catering company founded in 1994 by Chef Cyd Koehn, providing custom event catering, staffing, and online ordering for weddings, corporate clients, social gatherings, and funeral receptions across the Des Moines metro area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Catering Services

NAICS

Caterers (722320), Caterers (72232)

akta.pro primary industry

Wedding & Social Event Catering (THAHAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Full-Service Catering (Off-Premise) (HSACAGAA), Event Catering (Weddings, Social, Private Parties) (THAFAIAB)

Keywords

• Catering services
• Event catering
• Corporate catering
• Spanish tapas cuisine
• Local food sourcing

Headquarters

HQ city

Johnston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Custom Catering Services: Event-based catering services with custom menus tailored to each event. Pricing is proposal-based, determined by menu selections, guest count, service requirements, and staffing needs. Revenue is generated through deposits and final payments for each event.
2. Staffing Services: Hourly staffing services including servers ($60/hr), sous chef ($60/hr), and Chef Cyd ($160/hr) for event execution. Servers require 5-hour minimum contract.
3. Corporate Retainer Accounts: Organizations with retainer accounts can place and manage orders through a dedicated corporate portal, providing recurring revenue from corporate clients.
4. Online Ready-to-Eat Food Orders: Direct online ordering for ready-to-eat food through cateringbycyd.online platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cyd's Catering provides full-service event catering for weddings, corporate events, private gatherings, and social celebrations, with a specialty in Spanish Tapas cuisine made from locally sourced ingredients. Offerings include custom menu design, professional event staffing (servers, sous chef, and Chef Cyd), and proposal-based pricing with deposit requirements. Customers submit catering requests through an online Menu Builder portal and receive a custom proposal within 1–2 business days.

Product overview

Cyd's Catering operates as a catering services company offering a portfolio of connected products: Custom Catering Services serves as the core offering for events of all sizes (weddings, corporate, private gatherings), while the Menu Builder is an online self-service tool that enables customers to build custom event menus and submit requests. The Corporate Client Portal provides dedicated account management for retainer corporate clients. Ready-to-Eat Online Ordering offers direct food ordering separate from event catering. The company specializes in Spanish Tapas cuisine with a buy fresh, buy local philosophy and has been serving the Des Moines area since 1994.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Catering Services Full-service event catering for weddings, corporate lunches, private gatherings, and social celebrations. Features a buy fresh, buy local approach with Spanish Tapas specialty, menu customization, and optional professional staffing.
• Menu Builder Online self-service tool that allows customers to browse menu items, build custom event menus by selecting dishes, and submit catering requests for proposal generation.
• Corporate Client Portal Dedicated ordering portal for corporate clients with retainer accounts to place and manage recurring catering orders, with account login providing access to corporate-specific ordering and management features.
• Ready-to-Eat Online Ordering Direct online ordering platform for ready-to-eat food items, available separately from event catering requests through the cateringbycyd.online storefront.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Ankeny Chamber of CommerceminorOthersCyd's Catering is a proud member of the Ankeny Chamber of Commerce, providing networking and business development opportunities within the local business community.
• Johnston Chamber of CommerceminorOthersCyd's Catering is a proud member of the Johnston Chamber of Commerce, supporting local business community engagement.
• Urbandale Chamber of CommerceminorOthersCyd's Catering is a proud member of the Urbandale Chamber of Commerce, participating in the regional business network.
• West Des Moines Chamber of CommerceminorOthersCyd's Catering is a proud member of the West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce, supporting the local business ecosystem.
• Your Private BarminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecommended bartending partner for wedding and formal events. Provides professional mixology experience and bartending services that complement Cyd's Catering food service.
• Glorious DessertsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecommended vendor for wedding cakes and desserts. Highly recommended by Cyd's Catering for events requiring baked goods beyond their standard offerings.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Boston Market Catering: Boston Market provides nationwide catering for corporate events, parties, and family gatherings with rotisserie and homestyle menus. It competes with Cyd's on casual/social event catering and corporate drop-off orders, though with a less premium positioning.
• Panera Bread Catering: Panera offers nationwide office and event catering with online ordering and corporate accounts. It overlaps with Cyd's corporate catering segment but operates at higher volume and lower price point, competing more on convenience and brand reliability than culinary differentiation.
• Maggiano's Little Italy Catering: Maggiano's specializes in event catering for weddings, corporate luncheons, and private parties with full-service delivery. As a premium sit-down restaurant brand offering custom menus and on-site staffing, it competes with Cyd's on event experience and quality positioning at larger scale.
• Olive Garden Catering: Olive Garden (Darden Restaurants) offers nationwide catering for corporate and private events with bundled family-style meals. It overlaps with Cyd's in corporate and large-party catering but competes on convenience, brand familiarity, and standardized pricing rather than bespoke customization.
• Fogo de Chão Catering: Fogo de Chão offers Brazilian steakhouse-style catering for upscale corporate and private events. The premium positioning, custom on-site service, and event staffing parallel Cyd's high-end service tier, and it provides a benchmark for upscale event-catering economics nationally.
• Ruth's Chris Steakhouse Catering: Ruth's Chris offers upscale catering via its steakhouse brand, targeting weddings, corporate dinners, and galas nationwide. The premium positioning, plated-dinner service, and event staffing model closely parallel Cyd's higher-end offerings like the $160/hr Chef Cyd executive service.

Direct peers

• Hy-Vee Catering: Hy-Vee, the Iowa-headquartered grocery chain, offers in-store and off-premise catering across the Des Moines metro and broader Midwest. Cyd's competes head-on with Hy-Vee's catering arm for corporate, wedding, and private events in the same geography, with overlapping custom menus and staffing-led delivery models.

Regional players

• Fareway Stores Catering: Fareway is an Iowa-based grocery chain that offers catering services across the Midwest. As another locally-rooted grocery caterer operating in Iowa, Fareway is comparable on regional positioning and corporate/event catering overlap, though Cyd's leans more premium and event-specialized.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/cateringbycyd
• Xx.com/cateringbycyd
• Facebookfacebook.com/CydsCatering

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cyd’s Catering